Flames of War
by TheLaughingSkulls
Summary: "Corporal Steven 'Rayner' Radcliff died in active duty. His sacrifice was righteous, his actions just, and his honor untouched by the flames of war. We pray whatever awaits him in the great beyond is merciful, may he rest in peace." (Pre-season 2)
1. Chapter 1: Live Fire

_**Chapter 1: Live Fire**_

 _DISCLAIMER: I don't own RWBY._

 _'Thinking'_

"Saying"

" _ **Shouting**_ "

' _This fucking sucks.'_ Corporal Steven 'Rayner' Radcliff thought as he, and the rest of his squad, patrolled the humid foliage that bordered between the two warring countries. All six feet and three inches of him hated the humidity. For years, the South Korean people have rejected the advances of their oppressive, Communist neighbors in the North.

Ever since the Olympics Attack of 2018, open hostility had been abundant in the peninsula with the North Korean military occupying the border for a brief time. The American Armed Forces moved in swiftly to remove them.

And remove them they did. They removed their arms, legs, heads, anything that could be blown off by unrelented carpet bombing. They evacuated their forward operating base after sixtyhours of nonstop bombings. What's left was seized by the Republic of South Korea's Armed Forces, allowing American troops to march through further into the DMZ and onto North Korean soil.

Squads were usually sent on reconnaissance to find mines, fox holes, sniper nests, anything the enemy could use to get a leg-up on them and report them to the FOB (Forward Operating Base). But one squad in particular was privy to destroying them, effectively acting as both a demolitions and reconnaissance unit. This, while being somewhat rare, wasn't unheard of. Many squads had done what they were doing.

Key word, **had**. Most squads that went out for prolonged time never returned, falling prey to North Korean guerilla tactics. However, one squad always came back after dark, completing their mission without any losses. They scout and destroy enemy fortifications they found along their patrol path. They've been caught in countless armed engagements, but always came out victorious. They were the FOB's star squad, the EFDS (Enemy Fortification Demolition Specialists).

Most days were the same, usual small scale demolitions missions. However, today would be a grim day. A day none of them would forget.

DMZ between N. Korea & S. Korea: 1400 Hours

"Ready to blow!" I yell to my squad leader, a large and burly bear-man named Tobias 'Lex' Stoddard. He lumbers towards my direction, inspecting my work from afar. He grunts in approval.

"Alright, we're danger close people. Give Rayner some room, lest you wanna go sky high with this hut!" He barks to the rest of my squad. The other two, Veronica and Caryn, lightly jog away. Once I see all three of them at a safe distance, I start to unravel the detonation cord. Walking backwards with the spool of cord in my hand, I make sure not to trip and accidentally set this thing off.

Seeing the rest of my squad come into my peripheral view, I deem myself an acceptable distance away. I prime the detonator, settling in behind a small yet steep entrenchment with my squad.

I glance at Lex with a questioning look, hinting towards the detonator in my hand. He gives me a toothy grin and slowly nods.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" He barks as I slam my hand on the detonator, the deafening explosion following directly afterwards. Fiery bits of bark and dirt rain down around us, tapping on top of our helmets.

We stand up, dusting any debris off of ourselves. The shoddy gun emplacement was destroyed, preventing any enemies from mowing down our fellow brothers and sisters on their own partols.

Lex and I admire the fireworks, the incendiary bomb burning the wooden barricade in a brilliant orange flame. ' _Ah, I love my job.'_

"Great work, son. Keep this up and you might just get a promotion." He says while patting my back.

"Alright squad, let's get back to HQ. Don't want to keep staff sergeant waitin'." Lex says, turning his back to the rest of us. We fall in line, with me guarding the rear. ' _Heh heh.'_

Veronica and Caryn sweep the left and right flanks, checking for any possible hostiles among the trees. Lex has his eyes planted straight forward, keeping a watch on the ground in front of us for any potential mines or IEDs.

"Say Rayner, when you get back stateside, what're you gonna do?" Caryn asks, striking up a conversation.

"I uh, I don't know. Probably go see my family first, let them know I came back in one piece." ' _I hope_.' She nods in agreeance.

"What're you gonna do?" I ask.

"Oh, u-uh I don't know. Say, can I ask you something personal?" She stammers out.

Eyeing her up and down, I expect her to make a playful jab at me like she usually does. Instead, she seems somewhat flustered. I stop and think for a moment, trying to think of a reason as to why she would act this way.

I've known her for a long damn time now, meeting her back in basic. We'd gone into EOD training together, even being put in the same squad. For eight months we were out on the field, defusing bombs and such. We slept in the same barracks, ate in the same mess hall, hell, even did the same missions together.

' _Maybe she's sick? Or nervous? No, she seemed alright earlier. Maybe she's scared? But of what? Why?'_

Sighing in defeat, I let her ask.

"Sure. What do you wanna know?"

"I uh, umm-uh, d-do you, um, have a, uh, special, umm, someone back home?" She's a blushing mess, fidgeting as she walks.

Veronica, being the gossip gawker she is, whips her head back fast enough to break her spine in an attempt to validate what she heard.

"Ooooh? Is Caryn finally popping the age old question?" She accuses, her blue eyes landing on her. She blushes harder, bowing her head down in an attempt to hide her red-tinted face.

"I-I-I don't know w-what you're talking about!" She quickly retorts, head still pointed downwards.

"Oh? Really? Well then, maybe Rayner does." She eyes me up, resting her gaze on my chocolate brown eyes. I gaze into hers. We stand there for a second, locked in a staring contest while Caryn and Lex keep trekking on the path.

Ending the contest, she turns her back to me, walking ahead with a sway in step. Her hips moving side to side, almost taunting me.

' _If a mine doesn't kill me, one of those girls will.'_

I catch back up to my squad, just in time for Lex to raise his fist to the side. We all drop into a crouch, raising our rifles and surveying our surroundings.

"Lex, what gives?" I whisper ahead of me.

"Something doesn't feel right. Sweep the area." He orders.

My head's on a swivel now, scanning the treeline. The girls are as well. Lex wipes some sweat from his brow, inspecting the ground in front of us.

' _Those are footprints leading over ours. Have we been followed?'_

Rifle in hand, Lex proceeds to investigate the trail. He motions for us to follow.

We step through some undergrowth and come to a somewhat open area.

"Fan out and search the area, something's not right here." He orders in a low voice. I recognize that tone of voice. Whenever he uses that, it means shit's gotten serious. The hairs on my arms stand on end. I glance over to the girls, they're faring about as well as me. A foreboding aura blankets the clearing, dread quickly invading my head.

 ***BANG!BANG!BANG!***

' _Charlies in the treeline!'_

A bullet skims off the side of my helmet, brilliant sparks emitting from it as it passes.

I drop to the ground, pulling Caryn down with me. Lex pulled Veronica down as well, just in time for a hail of bullets to fly overhead. The ground around us erupts, dirt and grass fly everywhere as a result of enemy fire peppering our position.

"BASTARDS! OPEN FIRE, OPEN FIRE!" Lex shouts, shouldering his own rifle and returning fire. Following orders, I bear my own rifle and begin to dispense round after round, laying into an unseen enemy.

* **CLICK** *

My rifle's dry. I eject the spent magazine, reaching back and pulling out a fresh one. I look around while doing so to see how everyone is. Veronica is prone, a snarl finding it's way onto her face as she fired. Caryn had taken cover against a rock jutting out of the ground, nervousness radiating off her. Lex was prone next to Veronica, his face had hardened into a menacing glare, drastically different from the friendly smile that adorned his face not 5 minutes ago.

I slammed the fresh mag in, take aim and fire. I'm rewarded with a pained scream and a dense thud. I look around to-

* **BANG!** *

"SHIT, SNIPER IN THE TREES!" I scream, the round landing next to my right arm.

I shimmy backwards to find more reliable cover, Lex and Veronica doing so as well. Veronica took cover behind the rock with Caryn, me and Lex opted to take cover behind a fallen tree.

* **BANG!** *

The bullet hits our tree, bark exploding from the impact.

"Lex, what do we do? We're pinned down!" I shout over the gunfire. He stares hard at the ground, looking back to me.

"I got an idea! You got any more of those incendiary bombs on ya?!" He asks.

Reaching back and checking my pack, I feel three of them.

"Yeah! Why ask?"

"Good! Veronica! Caryn! On the count of three, give Rayner covering fire!" He yells.

They nod in response.

"Sir, what're you planning?!" I ask.

"How good is your throwing arm?!" ' _Bastard answered my question with a question.'_

I catch on, dropping my rifle to hold an incendiary bomb in both my hands. I connect the detonation cord, clipping the spool of cord onto my vest. I pull some out to make sure it doesn't hinder the bomb's flight.

"One!" My hands grip the bomb harder.

"TWO!" I get into a crouch position, bullets whizz by me.

" **THREE!** " I throw, watching the bomb soar through the air. Whoever was firing on us probably did to, momentarily ceasing fire. The bomb landed with a dull thud. Panicked screams and korean orders came from the treeline, figures rising to run away. My squad opened fire, gunning all those who ran, down into the ground. I grab the detonator and clutch it, hearing the all too familiar hiss and explosion of the device. A wave of heat and pained voices erupt from the tree line, flaming enemies run out and drop to the ground in an attempt to put out the flames that covered their bodies. The flames don't yield, searing their flesh and giving off a putrid aroma. It invades my nostrils and I gag. Caryn vomits as soon as the smell reaches her.

' _Poor thing.'_

Lex and Veronica plug their noses, seeing me and Caryn's reactions. Still in a crouched position, I lean over to pick up my rifle an-

* **BANG!** *

"RAYNER!" I hear Caryn scream. Pain explodes from my shoulder, as well as blood and some flesh. I fall over, blood steadily gushing from my wound. I glance at the treeline, searching for the gunman.

' _THERE!'_ I see him, the fire creating a glare on his scope.

"LEX! UPPER TREELINE! NORTH EAST!" I scream.

He wastes no time in sighting up in the direction and firing. He doesn't let up until he sees the silhouette of the gunman and his rifle fall from the tree. He hurries to my side to assess the damage I sustained. A 7.62 round dug itself into my right shoulder, creating a nasty hole.

"You think you'll be alright?" Lex asks, concern finding it's way onto his face.

"They're gonna need to shoot me a helluva lot more to keep me down, sir." I respond, flashing a toothy grin of my own through the excruciating pain. He smiles, relieved that I'm tougher than I look.

"How's the girls? They okay?" I ask.

"Yeah, they're fine. Veronica was grazed, but nothing serious. Caryn's a little shaken up, but more or less perfectly fine." Lex shrugged. "Anyways, get up. We're gonna fan out and search for survivors." He finishes, offering me a hand. I take it, and am pulled off the ground onto my feet. I retrieve my fallen rifle, holding it gingerly as to not cause anymore pain in my shoulder than I have to. Caryn comes to my side, observing the wound.

"You sure you're gonna be alright?" She asks meekly.

"Yeah, I will. Let's just get this search over with and return back." I say, earning a concerned look from her. I shrug my shoulders.

' _Not a whole lot I can do about it now. Just gotta grit my teeth and bear it until a medic can take a look at it.'_

Caryn and I walk to what was their shoddy defensive line, comprised of leaves, dirt, and thin wood. It was designed to blend in with the forest, but now it was burnt black. The corpses of our enemies were charred beyond recognition, most of them dying trying to put out the flames.

"War truly is Hell…" Caryn mumbles to herself. ' _You're Goddamn right it is.'_


	2. Chapter 2: Up In Flames

_**Chapter 2: Up In Flames**_

 _DISCLAIMER: I don't own RWBY._

 _'Thinking'_

"Saying"

" _ **Shouting**_ "

' _You fucking jump at me, I'll turn you into swiss cheese._ ' I thought as I poked a burnt body with the barrel of my rifle, half expecting it to reach up at me, or fight back. The other half of my conscience, my reasonable side, deduced than _nothing_ could withstand the 4,000 degrees the thermite-mixture bomb burned at.

"T-th-this is… terrifying." Caryn mumbled more. I cast her a worried look once what she said registered in my mind.

Turning from the corpse I previously believed would reanimate at any given point and attack, bringing forth a zombie apocalypse, I faced her in full. Her knees slightly shook, no doubt a result of this being her first time _really_ getting a close look at what havoc her teammate could reign down on their foes.

"It is." I curtly respond, staring her in her deep blue eyes.

' _I swear, if no one else does, I'm fucking wifing her._ ' My thoughts are interrupted by a forceful pat on the back, courtesy of one bear-of-a-human that lead this squad.

"Ah, don't let it get to you Caryn. It eventually just rolls off yer back. Took me years to learn that." He ended somewhat somber, something I _rarely_ saw in my squad leader.

"I'm not gonna lie, it never gets easier. There'll never be a day in your life where killing someone else is an easy thing to do. You get numb to it…" Lex finished.

I cast a sidelong look down the semi-trench they were stationed in. I felt bad, of course, but I knew that it was me or them. It's unfortunate they were on the wrong side of this war. I can't even fathom the pain these soldiers felt during their last moments on Earth. The searing of their bodies, the-

' _... Are those footsteps?_ ' The strange pattering of impacts on the ground grew closer. They were rapid. They were coming from behind, **straight towards me**. Almost immediately, I hear one last thing before my sight is robbed of me.

"Ooh Rayner, my daring and _handsome_ hero!~" My face is thrust into something soft, I can feel heat radiating off of it. My arms don't respond, neither do my legs. In fact, _none_ of my body does. Shock sets in once my neck was reared in a foreign direction, my body conceding and letting fate take the metaphorical wheel.

"V-V-V-Veronica! Let him go!" … ' _Wait a second, I know that name, that's… my… teammate…_ ' I could finally recognise that her arms were crossed over the back of my head, pulling inwards.

' _Then that means… oh fuck._ '

"Veronica! Release him! You're gonna suffocate 'im with your breasts!" Lex half shouted, half howled in laughter at the sight of me being smothered by Veronica's chest.

"Ooooh, why? A hero like him deserves a reward!~" She proclaimed in a smooth and embellished voice, earning the ire of one flustered and irate Caryn. She pulled me in even closer, at the expense of more rapid and flustered protests from her fellow female teammate.

"Especially for _putting his life on the line for mine.~_ " She whispered into my ear, her breath seeming to take a different temperature from the forest around us. It was cool, yet warm. It rolled down the side of my neck, making me somewhat shiver in delight. It felt so good, but it was _sooooo_ bad, on _sooooo_ many levels.

A small, frantic pair of hands gripped my left arm and pulled me free. Alas, I was saved from the lustful binds that bound me to Veronica.

"T-That's insubordination! Dishonourable! Lex, punish her!" Caryn huffed as she pulled me away from Veronica's gaze and towards her own. Something in those green eyes just seems so _infinite_. It's like I'm staring straight into two jade orbs. Two soft green portals to her soul. Her mouth's moving, but none of it registers in my head.

"-id you catch any of that? ...Uhhh… um…" Now we were both momentarily enraptured in each other's eyes.

Yet another forceful pat was bestowed on my spine, lurching me forward and snapping me and Caryn out of our thousand yard trance into each other's souls.

"C'mon star crossed lovers, we gotta to go." Lex said as he began his march in the direction of the FOB. Right behind him is Veronica, her mischievous smirk apparent as she passed me.

' _I swear I saw a wink._ '

I wasn't the only one to catch it, judging by Caryn's look. She was trying with all her might to shoot lasers from her head and smite her succubus-of-a-squadmate. Try as she might, she was bound to fail, giving a (cute) pout after the fact.

"Yeah, we should head back. It'll be dark soon." Caryn said as she slung her rifle back into her hands, relaxed yet ready to fight at a moment's notice. Falling in line behind her, I held my rifle as comfortably as I could with my wound.

' _Time to trek home._ ' I wistfully thought as I looked to the fast approaching night time sky.

I noticed four particularly colored stars. The hue they burned was ominous, almost unsettling, something completely alien.

 _ **Red, White, Black, and Yellow.**_

I could barely make out the black one, but the other three stood out prominently in my vision.

' _I must've lost a lot more blood than I thought I did._ ' Opting to chalk this occurrence up to a trick of the mind, a hallucination of sorts. Sure helps me digest today's events.

Forward Operating Base - Terminus: 2300 Hours

' _Oh sweet Christ in Heaven, I'm back!_ ' I was elated, I could finally get this bullet removed and rest! If only I had the energy to outwardly show that I was happy. Instead, I was akin to a ragged looking green mummy. My uniform stuck to me like a pharaoh's wrappings, my squad faring about as well as me.

Except Lex.

' _Fucker's walking around with his head held high, and chest puffed out like some kind of hero._ ' I thought, slightly -ahem- _bristled_.

' _Whatever, I gotta make it to Doc. Speaking of her, her room should be right arou-_ ' I never finished that thought, as my vision was robbed of me as soon as I turned the corner to her room by none other than the good doc herself, Lydia, and her… _assets_. I stood there stock still, unsure what to do.

' _This is a first. Out of all the times I've come here, she's never greeted me like this._ '

"Oooh you're back! I was so worried about my _favorite_ patient!" She said, no, sang. Everything was dramatic with her, including, but not limited to; eating, walking, breathing, talking, etc.

' _I don't even wanna imagine how loud sex is with her._ '

"HEY, LET HIM GO!" Veronica yelled, running to my rescue.

She ripped me from Lydia's chest, holding my shoulders for a second.

' _Well I'll be damned. Here I thought these two were-_ ' My thoughts were once again halted my face met Veronica's chest.

"That's OUR special thing, isn't that right, _my hero?~_ " She cooed.

' _God damn it, out of the pan and into the fire!_ '

From what I could hear, Lydia was positively infuriated.

"Wha, h-how DARE you do that to MY patient! I'm the only one he **should** have a special relationship with!" She screeched, snatching me away. Instead of further assaulting my face with her breasts, she held me in a _suggestive_ pose. Our faces were close, our bodies even _closer_. Her hands wrapped around the back of my neck, her nails making my skin tingle and hair raise.

"For all the times I've seen you, _physicals or not_ , it's to be expected. Isn't that right, _hun?_ " She whispered.

' _Thank God Caryn isn't here right now._ '

"W-w-w-what! How many times have you seen her, Rayner!?" Veronica was on the defensive, taken aback by Lydia. For once in Veronica's life, she had competition in being sultry to me.

And her competition was _damn good_ at it. Looking past her, I see the familiar figure of a certain man-bear.

"Ladies, ladies, y'all gotta stop this!" Lex came running, to my _actual_ rescue, prying me from the two.

"The man's got a bullet wound, he needs to be patched up. Lydia, get the table ready." He ordered. Lydia retreated to her office and began preparing for me.

"Veronica, help him to the table." Lex said. I gave him a pleading look, the look of one scared man.

"On second thought, I'll deal with bullet magnet over here. You go find Caryn and check up on her." He revised his order.

"Yes, sir." I watched Veronica make her way around the corner to Caryn, wherever she was.

"You can walk, right?" Lex asked.

" I dunno, you offering to carry me?" I joked.

"Get your ass moving, boy." He laughed, walking away.

I walk back into the office with my vision _unhindered_ , and make my way to the metal table she has. I hoist myself up onto it, albeit somewhat awkwardly because I couldn't use my right arm. Lydia came over and started examining my shoulder, cleaning it and applying antiseptic gel to prevent/ minimize infection. She stepped back, huffing slightly.

"We can go about removing this two ways. Option one, I admit you and have a surgeon remove the bullet; option two, I remove the bullet myself. What'll it be?" She asked, stepping back and removing the plastic gloves.

"How would you go about removing it yourself?" I ask, looking around the office at various framed pictures and whatnot. She steps away momentarily, coming back over with long tweezers and a wooden dowel.

"The old fashioned way." She smiled.

I looked to the dowel warily, ' _Ain't no way in Hell._ '

"Uh huh, and the surgeon?" She somewhat deflated once I asked, taking on a slightly hurt look.

"Well, I'd have you admitted. Then you'd be put under and operated on, then go through recovery, and some paperwork. Probably some kind of shooting test to show you'd've recuperated." She listed off.

I can't really afford being out of commission, I'm the only one in my squad with training and certification in explosive ordinance. Moreover, some new guy would be put in my shoes. My soot and blood covered shoes.

' _No way I'm leaving my team's lives in the hands of some rookie._ '

I look over to her and notice her somewhat sad smile.

"So what'll it be? Me or the scrubs?" Silence and slight tension fill the room.

I sigh, preparing myself for whatever pain I'm gonna have to endure. My gaze lands on her with a determined look, she stares expectantly.

"Alright Doc, let's get this over with."

I never knew seven words would make a woman like her explode with happiness. Her smile grew tenfold, her attitude doing a complete 180 degree turn from what it was moments earlier.

She ran over to my side and began what she does best.

Fix idiots.

"Okay, I'm gonna need you to open. Say, ' _aaahluvlydiaaaaaaaa_ '."

"Seriously?" I deadpan.

"You want this bullet removed or what?" She shot back.

"Ugh, fine."

"Alright, now open up and-"

"I know, I know."

I swallow hard, swallowing my pride and whatever dignity I had left.

" _Aaaahluvlydiaaaaaaaa_ " ' _This is gonna bite me in the ass and I know it._ '

She giggles, putting the dowel in my mouth.

"Bite." She commands. I do as I'm told, holding the wood with my teeth.

She gets to work on removing it, occasionally causing me to wince or make some noise that conveys I'm in pain.

Forty-five minutes later and the procedure is over. She admires the stitchwork she did, and by proxy, my bare chest. A slight blush finds it's way onto her face as she puts a bandage over the stitches. Once she's finished, she hands me a white tee shirt, seeing the last undershirt I had was bloody.

"Do you need help getting your shirt on?"

"Y-yeah, that'd be great." She comes over and helps me. Once my shirt is on, she rests her hand on my chest. Here we are, two military personnel all alone in an office, her hand to my chest. She traces her fingers over all the other injuries I'd gotten, and that she'd patched up.

"You know," She starts. "I really am worried. You guys go out there and fight the most out of all of the squads here." Her hand stops over the freshly bandaged wound I got.

"It scares me to think that, one day, you may not return here. That you may not be able to be patched back up." Her eyes are somewhat watery. I'm still. I don't know what to do, what should I do? What _can_ I do?

"Ray-no, _Steven_ , it scares me. The thought of you in a body bag next time I see you is terrifying. I-I-can't-" Her voice falters, tears flowing freely from her eyes. Whatever she was gonna say was lost to the sobs and heavy breaths.

I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her even closer. She stops momentarily to look up into my eyes. Her light brown eyes stared deep into my chocolate brown eyes, which are focused solely on her.

"Lydia, there isn't a day that goes by where I think about that. That's why I fight tooth and nail to get back here. Come Hell or high waters, I will make it back here. I will fucking drag myself back, if need be. I won't leave any of you behind. I won't leave **you** behind." I finished. It seems to have helped ease her mind, as she stopped crying.

"Promise me. Promise me that you'll come back." She demanded, her voice taking a serious tone.

' _Well Radcliff, now's your moment. It's do or die._ '

I let go of her, bending down on one knee. I grasped one of her hands gingerly, pulling it in front of me. I put one hand over my heart and began the monologue I had prepared in my head.

"Lydia Santorello, I swear on my life that I _**will**_ return to you." I looked up into her eyes. I kissed her hand, sealing my promise. Her face went beet red, her free hand covering her mouth.

A knock at the door interrupted our moment. Rushing to my feet, I went to answer the door. Unbeknownst to me, Lydia had also begun moving towards the door. Our bodies hit each other, sending us falling the door.

' _Shit, she'll hit her head on the door if I don't do something._ '

Holding her close to me, I twist my body to move her behind me. I hit my shoulders on the door, knocking it open.

' _Fuck that hurt._ '

"R-R-Rayner! What're you doing?!" I hear an all to familiar voice. My eyes meet an, infuriated, pair of jade eyes.

"Uhh…" My eyes trail down to Lydia, whose currently on my chest. She sits up, unconsciously straddling me.

She looks to Caryn, then down to me. A look of pure embarrassment covers her face. Before I can say a single thing, she darts back into her office, leaving me with one unhappy woman.

"H-hey Caryn, what's uh, up?" I tried to casually change the topic. The look of military-grade anger in those eyes wasn't going anywhere soon. An evil, no, _wicked_ smile adorned her face.

"My rifle!" Was the last thing I heard before being knocked out, courtesy of the butt of Caryn's gun.


End file.
